THE GREEK SLAVE. By Mr. Douglas Sladen. (Werner Laurie. 7s.
6d.)—This is the story of an irresistibly beautiful Syracusan girl of noble birth, who is carried off by pirates a few days after a love marriage. She is bought by a certain Charmides, a landowner near Miletus ; and as he was very kind to her, she was duly kind to him. Later she was carried off to Babylon, where Darius falls in love with her, and her husband reappears. After sundry adventures, her husband having disappeared, Alexander the Great is very kind to her, and she is duly kind to him : in fact, she loves him even more than she loved her husband. But when the latter returns, blinded, Alexander gives her up with a gesture reminiscent of a heroic tragedy by Nat Lee, and she nobly returns to duty. The story is based on a deal of reading in ancient history ; it is instructive as to history and manners. But the people never really come to life. Mr. Sladen did not make up his mind whether he would write archaeology or romance ; and his book is written in a stilted sort of prose which reads like an adaptation of North. "Now it chanced that . . . . " " Now when the besieged, who were on the wall, perceived that Alexander himself was there, they signalled their men to return, for their enemy was at hand." The tale is a little confused and ill-constructed, but will interest those who would like to know something about the period, and learn it easily.
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